Composite fireproof building fabric and method of making the same



W. R. SEIGLE. COMPOSITE FIREPRooF BUILDING FABRIC AMD METHOD 0F MAKING TIIE SAME.

MPLICATION FILED APR. 8. IQIQ.

Patented Nov. 2Q, 1922.

'lill/[1711111 f my Methods of Making the-Same, of which the cloth, paper or felt base, and apermanent appearance of such coatings, orto improve Patented Nov. 28, 1922,

man

WILLIAM E. SEIGLE, orv NEW YORK, N. AY. 'i COMPOSITE FInEPnooF BUILDING FABRIC AND METHOD or MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed April 8, 1919. Serial No. 288,562.

surface, nor of any in which the surfacing materlal is adherent to adegree rendering the coating reliably permanent.

The prime object of the present invention- 1s provide al composite building material which can be made up in rolls or stacked in sheets for transportation and sale, such material being characterized by an improved resistance to fire, byy a marked improvement .in permanent adhesion of the surface coating, and by a surface having an agreeable architectural appearance both as regards' texturev and as regards color. Further. ob- Jects are to employ in making thenew fabric materials heretofore regarded as waste materials, to provide a roofing material comprising a felt, paper or cloth element and a surface armo'ring or reprooing element each extracted from the same natural mineral origin` and balancing each other economioally by utilization of different parts of the same raw material,`and to provide an art of making such composite fabrics.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a displayed view showing the various layers of a preferred form of the fabric; j

Figure 2 is a transverse section through a sheet;

Figure 3 is a greatly enlarged section through the fabric; and v Figure 4 is a diagram of apparatus illustrating steps taken in one method of making the fabric.

In making the fabric, sheets of asbestos To @ZZ whom z't'may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. SEIGLE, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and4 resident of New York, in the county of New York and Sta-te of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in' Composite Fireproof Building Fabrics and following is a specification. This invention relates to composite fireproof building orrooling fabrics' having a protective coating of pleasing appearance for the exposed faceof the fabric.

I .m aware of many efforts in the prior art to provide a ready-fabricated roofing which can be applied with good joints so as to become practicallyan integral .and unbroken covering for a roof; of structures for such fabrics intended to make such roof-vv ings fireproof; and of fabrics for-these gen# eral purposes varying inthe nature and re* lation to eachother. of the component parts of the fabric'or sheet for roofing. I am aware, for instance, of thev use of certain coating materials, such as sand or broken slate, to prevent a waterproof cementitious coating from stickingv the sheets together when they are stacked or rolled, and of various attempts 'in the prior art to improve the the heat-resisting qualitiesv of the material coated.

But so far asI am aware none of the prior art fabrics when at all successful from the point of lview 'of applicability to the situations in which such roofs are most desired, of -cheapness, or of fireproof quality, are also successful from the points of view of providing a fabric having a surface resistent to detachment under erection or long use, or when subjected to high temperature, or providing a surface agreeable to the eye.

As an element of architectural effect, such sheet rooiings are detrimental to the artisticv appearance of surfaces covered by them, and by custom connotative of makeshift, temporarycor cheap building, as well as in trinsically disagreeable either in color or in surface, or in both. Heretofore when they have been really lireproof, such fabrics have also been more expensive than plastic com: posite roofs or walls applied in place. I am not aware of any ready-fabricated roofing which presents a rough, broken or variegated fabric are coated with a cementitious adhesive rubbery compound, comprisingfor instance asphalt and any suitable filler, such as sand, calcined or uncalcined powdered stone, lime, ground calcareous matter or the like; and while this coating is in a hot and soft state, an armoring4 surface is formed upon and in relation to it by causing the adhesion to it and partial mingling with it of the components of the armoring surface.

Referring to the drawing, a preferred form comprises at least two plies 1 and 2 of asbestos paper, felt, orcloth, or of a paper, felt or cloth predominantly composedv of fibrousl asbestos, fastened together in any satisfactory manner. For complete waterproofing, it is preferred to saturate the asbestos plies with melted asphalt or an asphaltic compound, and to cement the plies together by a layer 3 of either the melted 110 v material.

asphalt or of an asphaltic cement of any desired composition; for instance, any one of the cements hitherto employed for ceinenting together similar laminae of other laminated waterproof fabrics. The laminated sheet 1, 2, 3, provides afireproof heatinsulating base. of any desired thickness.

If desired, the longitudinal edges of the laminated base fabric maybe strengthened against stretching or tearing by incorporat-.

ing between the plies one or more longitudinal str/ips 4 of strong paper, such as Kraft paper, some of the cement 3 being applied on both sides of the'strip 4.

The surface of the ply 2 is now coated with a relatively thick layer 5 of sticky material. Preferably this cementitious material is the adhesive rubbery asphalt compound mentioned above, and in that case the coating is applied hot, in which condition it is viscous, but plastic, flowing freely under pressure and adhering strongly to the ply 2. Upon and into the plastic and adhesive surface of the cementitious layer 5 the surfacecoating or armoring 6 is now laid. This comprises a random mixture of crushed stoneand short asbestos fibre. The preferred material is crushed v"waste serpentine rock from the asbestos mine (from` which the longer fibred asbestos has been separated for making the fabric of the plies 1 and 2 and other uses) and which heretofore has accumulated as waste This material is crushed to such fineness as will lpass a to inch mesh screen, as desired, and comprises irregular granules of all lesser sizes predominantly gray in color, but containing frequentwhite,

vpale green, yellow-gray and nearly black fragments, as well as a large proportion by volume of short, more or less separated fibres or crystals of asbestos proper, which the crushing and screening operations cause to be thoroughlyk commingled with the rock fragmentsand somewhat separated from each other.

This broken and screened material is sprinkled upon the plastic hot coating. 5 in a thick layer, and preferably rolled into the layer 5 and the upper ply 2 of the base fabric under pressure.

T he result is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. The larger fragments of rock 10 and 11 for instance, are driven into the coating 5, and may be pressed into the substance of.` layer 2, as shown,- but do not penetrate, in the sense of breaking through, either the cementitious' coating or the fibrous base.

I A film' of the material 5 still separates the fabric 2 and the fragment driven into it. The discrete masses of fibre in the coating are caused to penetrate to contact and bindingrrelation with the fabric layer 2.

he plastic flow of the excess of the ma` terial 5 is effective to enter all of the inon the fabric. y

The cementltious layer 5 having sufficient- `ly cooled the unbound material is now removed from the surface of the completed fabric bygravity, shaking, an air-blast,.or other'desired means, and may be collected for further use. The thicknessl of the retained coat depends upon the amount of cementitious matter in layer 5.

The completed fabric has a very rough surface comprised of lthe irregular .rock fragmentsNfirmlybound on the-base, which vary among themselves greatly in color; it shows irregular pale gray or ,white asbestos fibre patches, a considerable number of freeended fibres of asbestos projecting from the surface, and at the depths of recesses between the armoring fragments, it shows throughout a dark background of the asphaltic cement 5. The fibrous appearance of the asbestos elements of the surface predominates, and aids in giving a surface texture very closely imitating the surface of an old weathered wooden shingle. The whole color effect of the surface is a soft gray comprised of the mixed color elements of which it is composed..

A relatively large proportion of the thickness of the fabric 1s comprised of the layer 5, 6, which as shown in Fig.v 2 may be as thick or thicker than the base fabric.

The fabric may be made in other ways.A

be suliiciently engaged with it by gravity,

by deposit upon it by sprinkling only, without pressure, and in v'that case the rough surface desired will result from the different sizes of thel attached particles. In either mode of attaching the surface coat, thie amount of coating material may be calculated by the known binding power ofthel cementitious layer, so that depo it of excess material is avoided, but I preferito deposit a large excess of the material in order to be able to employ -pressure transmitted by the unbound excess of this material to attach the adherent portion, and in this way to avoid the flatness of surface otherwise obtained by rolling the armoring coat into fthe plastic adhesive by a `plain cylindrio roller, or the artificial appearance of a surface dueto a roller having an Vartificial roughened. surface; and also to avoid any contact of the pressure roll with the surface-binding adhesive 5.

llnder test by application of a blast of fiame. the coating (i is found to be thoroughly retained. although the cement 5 was first melted and then carbonized. This is not the case with any other armoring material of which I am aware. such other coatings showing a disposition toflow off when their cemcntitous binder softens under beat. l attribute this improved resistance to fire to the nature of the coating 6 and the mechanical adherence of its fibrous and fragmentary elements to the fabric 2 secured b v the method of assembling them as described.

While the method of making the new fabric is independent of any particular apparatus and may conveniently bc carried out b v hand. l have shown for aid inplacticing it in Fig. -i a typical set of apparatus adapted for preparing a relatively continuous web of the material. The plies land 2 are impregnated and stuck together at A. the ply 2 is coated with the hot cemcntitious layer 5 at B. sprinkled with armoring material at the shaker-screen C. an excess of material being deposited: 'is then. after a run of suit-able length to allow the layer 5 to set somewhat, rolled at D, and then after a run long enough to allow further cooling of layer is inverted at E. and if desired subjected to an air blast at e and shaking at e' to remove the excess of armoring material. and rolled up in a finished state at F.

lhat I claim is:

1. Composite fabric comprising an asbes tos fabric base. an adhesive cementitious coating on said base, and an arn'ioring coat imbedded in and held by the cementitious coating comprising fragments of stone and asbestos fibre. components of the coating projecting at irregular distances from the general surface of the coating. whereby to form an irregular. rough surface.

2. Composite fabric imitating in appearance a weathered wooden shingle comprising a base-fabric. a cementitious coating thereon. and irregular particles of broken stone of various colors 'intermingled with short fibred asbestos commingled with and covering the surface ofl said cementitious coating.

3. A fireproof fabric comprising a basefabric predominantly of asbestos fibre. a cementitious coating, and a fireproof armoring coating imbedded.A in and held in place by the cementitious coating. said armoring coating comprlsmg a fibrous material and a comminuted mineral substance in intermixed relation.

4. A composite fabric sheet comprising laminae of asbestos fabric fastened together by an asphaltic cement. and an armoring coating comprising a`mixture of stone fragments and discrete short-fibred asbestos held on one surface Vof the laminated sheet by a cementitious substance.

5. A composite fabric sheet comprising laminay of asbestos fabric fastened together b v an asphaltic cement, and an armoring coating comprising a mixture of stone fragments and discrete short-fibred asbestos held on one surface of the laminated sheet by an asphaltic cement.

6. .it composite building fabric -comprising a base fabric consisting predominently of fibrous asbestos. a cementitious adhesive substance for holding -the different parts of the fabric in assembled relation and a rough armoring coating on one face of the fabric consisting of crushed andA screened serpentine rock containing discrete particles of short-fibred asbestos.

T. The art of making composite building fabrics comprising coating a base fabric with a plastic cementitious substance. depositing thereon a thick layer of armoring material. forcing into said cementitious coating vvhile it is in a plastic condition a part of this layer. and then removing the unbound excess of armoring material.

8. The art of making composite building fabrics comprising coating a base fabric with a plastic cementitious substance, applying to said cementitious coating while it is in a plastic condition a mass of discrete fragments of rock and a fibrous material. and placing the applied mass under pressure to commingle some of it with the cementitious coating.

9. The art of making composite building fabrics comprising coating a base fabric with' a plastic cementitious substance, applying to said cementitious coating while it is in a plastic condition a mass of discrete fragments of rock and a fibrous material. placing the applied mass under pressure to commingle some of it with the cementitious coating, and thereafter removing the excess of the fragments of rock and fibrous material not engaged and bound by the plastic fioiv of the cementitious substance.

10. The art of making composite building fabrics comprising coating a base fabric with an asphaltic cementitious substance in a hot and plastic state. applying to said cementitious coating While in such state an armoring coating of mixed fragmentary stone and fibrous material in excess of an amount. adapted to be bound by adhesion to the cementitious coating, causing adhesion by pressure on the excessive amount of armoring coat and then removing the un` bound excess of the armoring material.

Signed by me at New York. N. Y.. this Jth day of April 1919.

TVILLIAM R. SEIGLE- 

